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Shorter days and colder spells test the resolve to stay sober. However, cozy autumn activities support recovery and sustained sobriety. But don’t do it alone. Finding AA meetings can strengthen the social connection that the season tends to take away.
Mental health experts have made some recommendations to beat back the seasonal blues. Each of these six hobbies fits naturally into an alcohol-free routine. This makes them useful through the hardest months of the year.
Fall Tests Sobriety
Let’s start with the body. Psychologist Connie McReynolds explains biology. Less sunlight exposure can set off seasonal affective disorder. Less daylight raises melatonin to cause tiredness and sleepiness. Going outside less also cuts vitamin D intake, which can lower your mood.
Those conditions strengthen recovery at a time when things literally go bleak. Dark and unstructured evenings encourage old drinking habits to resurface, and the holiday stretch ahead is crowded with alcohol-centered gatherings. Planning the season is a form of protection.
Six Therapist-Backed Activities
Exercise comes first to care for your whole body. A brisk walk before sunset, a class with friends or Pilates at home all lift up your mood. McReynolds notes that even a walk followed by coffee and conversation lifts spirits in more than one way.
Cooking and baking can immerse the senses in the season. “You’re touching, smelling, tasting, measuring, and paying attention to what’s directly in front of you,” points out therapist Elisabeth Bodett Dresser.
Seasonal recipes double as a way to bring people together without drinks.
Reading–and not just recovery literature–gives your mind somewhere else to go. Dresser suggests putting the phone away and focusing on a good book. A book club adds camaraderie when isolation comes easily.
Volunteering builds purpose and routine. “Volunteering can be especially beneficial because it gets you out of the house, creates opportunities for social connection, and gives you a sense of purpose,” relays licensed psychotherapist Ciara Bogdanovic.
Hands-on hobbies like knitting, puzzles and pottery or a long LEGO build keep your mind and fingers busy. “Repetitive hand movements… activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is your body’s built-in calm-down system,” notes trauma therapist Rebecca Mackillop. Finishing something tangible brings stability as the days get shorter and the nights longer.
AA Meetings Fit
The same principle applies to informal self-care. Join a running group, volunteer at a charity or travel to local hotspots.
You can also download the free Sober App. Streak counters and a virtual community wherever you go make progress visible when motivation runs thin.
Hobbies fill the hours, but sustained sobriety grows faster with people in it. AA meetings offer regular liquor-free place to be on dark weeknights with others who are there for the same reason.
Getting started is a big first step. But our website can help. You can browse our directory for AA meetings anywhere in the USA. Filter by times, formats and locales.
You can also dial
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Eric Owens is a writer and editor with a bachelor degree in Philosophy, which has helped him with presenting complex information in a simple way that all audiences can understand. He specializes in the mental health and addiction recovery space. He’s also passionate about the environment and has extensive experience in creating content related to sustainability issues
View ProfilePeter W.Y. Lee is a writer and historian of American history. His primary focus is on the Cold War era. His academic work examines the relationship between youth and popular culture and its impact on U.S. society during the twentieth century.
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